[VIDEOS/PICTURES] Football legends Kaka and Luis Figo arrive in Pakistan

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[VIDEOS/PICTURES] Football legends Kaka and Luis Figo arrive in Pakistan

Football legends Luis Figo and Kaka are all set to come to Pakistan on January 10, organisers of the World Soccer Stars event told Dawn on Friday.

Portuguese great Figo and Brazilian maestro Kaka, both former Real Madrid players, will make an appearance in Karachi and Lahore after they arrive on January 10, kicking off the exhibition football event that will see two matches in Karachi and Lahore.

The duo are being brought by TouchSky Group, a UK-based player and event management company, which also brought Ronaldinho and several others stars to the country in 2017 in another exhibition event.

“The duo will make special appearances starting in Karachi at The Pearl Continental followed by a grand finale fan experience in Lahore at The Packages Mall.

The visit offers both cities a chance to get a glimpse of the stars and witness the gravity of the tour in the presence of industry, media, brands and most importantly Pakistan’s football fans,” organisers said in a news release.

“It’s exciting to see another emerging country in Asia embrace football. I’m certain in a population of 220 million there must be huge potential waiting to emerge into the international scene.” — Luis Figo

“World Soccer Stars has been crafted to uplift football in Pakistan and will see use of interactive coaching clinics that will be assessed by world football stars and offer a gateway to football talent at grass-root level to recognise their skills,” said Kaka, who retired from professional football in 2017.

“I am delighted to visit Pakistan and play an instrumental role in promoting and helping football in the country. I have never been to Pakistan so I am really excited to come and play football whilst helping unearth hidden talent,” the Brazilian added.

Football legends Kaka and Luis Figo on Thursday arrived in Karachi to officially kick off World Soccer Stars 2019 in the country.

Speaking at a ceremony at Karachi's Pearl Continental Hotel, Figo — who came on stage holding a bat — said: "I feel a warm welcome from everybody; there is great passion for football [in Pakistan]."

"We'll come with 10 legends in April to play a match," he added, inviting Pakistan football coach Jose Antonio Nogueira to the stage.

A number of sportsmen, including Pakistan captain Saddam Hussain and midfielder Saadullah, as well as media personalities are at the event. Hussain brought Pakistan's football jersey for Kaka and Figo. "It will be an honor for me if they accept my gift," he said.

The event's host Bilal ashraf introduced TouchSky Group's CEO, who said Figo and Kaka have made a commitment to bring authentic international football to Pakistan.

"It won't be easy but we're here to tell you that football can come to Pakistan," said the CEO. "We have begun a journey from 10 different parts of the world."

Welcomed in Karachi
Earlier, the former Real Madrid superstars tweeted a message for Pakistani fans prior to boarding their Karachi-bound flight.

They had announced their planned visit of Pakistan last week through video snippets.

“It’s excited to see another emerging country in Asia embrace football," Figo had said in a video announcement of his visit to Pakistan. "I’m certain in a population of 220 million there must be huge potential waiting to emerge into the international scene.”

“I am delighted to visit Pakistan and play an instrumental role in promoting and helping football in the country. I have never been to Pakistan so I am really excited to come and play football whilst helping unearth hidden talent,” said Kaka, who retired from professional football in 2017.

The duo are being brought by TouchSky Group, a UK-based player and event management company, which also brought Ronaldinho and several others stars to the country in 2017 in another exhibition event.

Luis Figo, Kaka Seek 'Promise' of Football in Cricket-mad Pakistan

Portuguese great Luis Figo and Brazilian star Kaka Thursday vowed to help develop the "great promise" of football in Pakistan, a country obsessed with cricket and twice banned from international soccer.

The two legends -- who both played for Spanish club Real Madrid -- are in Pakistan for a day-long visit as part of the Wold Soccer Stars tour, aimed at grooming nascent talent through exhibition matches and coaching clinics.

The 2000 Ballon d'Or winner Figo, wielding a cricket bat in a nod to the game's popularity in Pakistan, told reporters in the southern port city of Karachi that he was "excited" to be there.

"There is a great promise of football in Pakistan so we are here to help develop the game," said Figo, who also played for Barcelona before retiring in 2009.

Kaka, himself carrying a cricket ball, said the pair were "committed" to promoting football globally.

"We ... have a good impression of Pakistan," added the 2007 Ballon d'Or winner, who also played for AC Milan and retired in 2017.

Pakistan boasted a top 10 place in Asian football until the early 1970s, but a lack of government support and poor infrastructure have seen them sink to 199 in the FIFA rankings.

Pakistan was banned in 1995 and again in 2017 over violating FIFA's rule that all federations must be free of any government and judicial interference in their respective countries.

The most recent ban was lifted in 2018, but Pakistan is on the verge of a third strike after the head of its federation refused to accept the results of a controversial leadership election held last month.

Cricket is king in the South Asian country of more than 200 million people, which has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup.

But a 2017 visit by eight international stars led by Brazilian legend Ronaldinho proved the game is gaining popularity, with younger generations adoring the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Luca Modric.

Figo and Kaka backed FIFA's stance of increasing the number of World Cup teams from 32 to 48 in the 2026 event to be co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.

It means "more players and more opportunities", Figo said, while Kaka hoped Pakistan would seize the chance and appear in the World Cup "soon".

Pakistan football team captain Saddam Hussain also met Figo and Kaka, while a host of young fans received autographs and took selfies with the two players.

The two stars will also visit Lahore later Thursday, and are expected to return for exhibition matches and coaching clinics from April 23-26 this year.

Why is our country getting so excited over 2 former footballers coming to Pakistan for some mickey mouse exhibition matches? You'd think it was the Champions League Final based on how certain people are reacting

Why is our country getting so excited over 2 former footballers coming to Pakistan for some mickey mouse exhibition matches? You'd think it was the Champions League Final based on how certain people are reacting

PM Imran said after the meeting that “in order to provide opportunities to our youth to showcase their talent and bring out Pakistan’s football potential we need to have on ground facilities to develop the sport in the country”.

Meanwhile, Kunwar stressed on the need for representation of Pakistan football players on an international platform.

Earlier, the TSG brought football legends Kaka and Figo to Pakistan to introduce the April event of World Soccer Stars.

The two legends travelled to Karachi and then Lahore to promote the upcoming event, where they met media and answered their questions.

The statement further said the decision to postpone has not been taken lightly, given the enthusiasm of the Pakistan football fans when the players visited the country to launch the tour during the first few months of 2019. “The excitement of the fans was genuine and was truly heartfelt by the players and has only served to motivate us to conduct the tour later in 2019. The interest shown by brands, the media, the army and national and local government was appreciated.”

“After a review of the situation we took this decision taking into account several factors including the change in the local business economy since the tour was announced, the wish of certain key brands to align the tour with their commercial plans,” the statement further said

The new tour date will be announced after Eid-ul-Fitr along with details regarding the refunding of tickets.

World Soccer Stars is a tour that remains committed to promoting the development of football in Pakistan, as was shown by the events in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. The recent national trials held in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Quetta and Lahore in association with Total Football proved the appetite for such a tour. The regional winners from these trials will take part in the national finals later in the year with the winners getting the opportunity to play with the international legends at the World Soccer Stars event, it further said.